Pakistan govt accepts demands by radical mosque

The government of Pakistan has agreed to accept all demands put forward by the management of the radical Islamabad mosque, Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), including the enforcement of Sharia or Islamic law in the country, according to the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
His comments came after talks on Tuesday night when Chaudhry Shujaat paid a surprise visit to Lal Masjid and met its clerics Maulana Abdul Aziz and Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi. He said details would be given in the parliament on Wednesday.The PML chief assured the mosque administration and the female students of its affiliated madrassa or Muslim seminar, Jamia Hasfa, that the government was ready to accept all their demands, including the enforcement of Sharia. Talking to journalists after the meeting, Chaudhry Shujaat said all contentious issues between the government and Lal Masjid clerics had been settled.Responding to a question about the situation inside the mosque, the Pakistan Muslim League president denied the presence of activists of banned organisations and illegal arms in the mosque.
Pakistani president Gen Musharraf had said many times in the recent past that the mosque administration had provided shelter to suicide bombers.Two security officials, who were taken hostage by the students of Jamia Hasfa last month, had also told the media that they had seen a bulk of arms and ammunitions in the mosque.About the enforcement of Sharia law, the PML chief said: “No Muslim rejects the enforcement of the Islamic system in the country.”The ruling party chief also met two sisters who had taken refuge in Lal Masjid after being sexually abused by Azhar Iqbal, an influential man in Jehlum. He assured the victims that they would be provided justice and that the accused would be punished.
He said the district police office of Jhelum would visit Lal Masjid on Wednesday and would register a case against the accused, Azhar Iqbal.Later, Chaudhry Shujaat took a tour of the Jamia Hafsa and said that female students were studying in a good atmosphere.The first round of talks between the government of the clerics of the Lal Masjid was suspended after a military helicopter had continued hovering over the mosque for 20 minutes last week.The mosque administration condemned what it called the aerial surveillance of the mosque and said that some gases had also been sprayed on the mosque. The clerics of the Lal Masjid have increasingly been challenging the government in recent months.
They had announced that a Taliban-style Islamic or Sharia court would be set up to curb "vulgar" activities and gave the government a month to close video shops and brothels.The madrassa students had also occupied a children's library in Islamabad in protest against the demolition of several unauthorised mosques. They kidnapped three women and a child for allegedly running a brothel and recently threatened the owners of shop selling videos and CDs carrying material which they say is obscene and vulgar. This Taliban-style activity has caused outrage among human rights groups in Pakistan. Thousands of activists have staged protests calling for action to be taken against the madrassas, which they say are harassing ordinary people in the name of Islam.
Courtesy: ADNKI